Review Time!

It's review time! You should expect a review following your newbie probationary period, usually 3 or 6 months after starting a new position, and a review on the anniversary of being in this position. Here are a few things to consider before, during and after your review.

Before

You should have received monthly mini-reviews, weekly productivity reports, or some other form of weekly/monthly evaluations from your boss within the past year. These evaluations are important. Even if these evaluations are ambiguous, and/ or strictly numerical, your review is a summation of all them you received and then some. If the work relationship between you and your supervisor, along with evaluations, do not provide clarity on the way she/he perceives you, ask for clarity. Sit down with your supervisor every once in a while (e.g. monthly) and ask, “How am I doing?” Between you asking and your evaluations, you should have a reasonable expectation of your upcoming review.

During

Read and listen. Listen to and read every remark your supervisor says about you. If you’re lucky you have a thorough, couple page, sectioned review. This review will give you an overall detailed account of you in your workplace. However, if your review is simple and small, you might have to pull it apart and dig deeper into your supervisor for more information. What your supervisor says ought to reflect what is written. If your supervisor says glowing things about you, but your review is lackluster, ask for a rewritten review. Regardless of what type of review you have, review time is the best time for all the questions you have. If you don’t have any questions, respond to the comments in your review. If your review wasn’t so well, take the time in this review to work out a strategy with your supervisor to get you on track to meeting your job’s expectations.

After

If your review went well, keep up your productivity and work on doing more. If you worked out a plan for the next year in your position, start thinking about the execution of this plan. Most importantly, continue to build a relationship with your supervisor in which you can feel comfortable talking about your performance. If you want a promotion, do research on the expectations of your desired position and work on being the best candidate.